Sunday morning, Devin Rallis gave birth to her family's second child, and a few hours later, her husband Nick -- the Cardinals defensive coordinator -- was dialing up a dominating defensive performance in a blowout win over the Bears.
The timing, obviously, changed Nick Rallis' routine on the game weekend. Impacted, among others, was Rallis' usual visit to the local coffee shop, where he talks to himself about the upcoming game plan and rehearses it in his head.
This time, about an hour after Dominick Kyzir Rallis was born, Rallis turned to his wife in the hospital room.
"I asked my wife, 'Can we go through this game plan now?'" Rallis recalled on Tuesday. "She said sure."
It was the ultimate football coach story. And perhaps the ultimate football coach family story. The fact Rallis had already told Jonathan Gannon ahead of time that he would be at State Farm Stadium to fulfill his DC duties spoke to that.
"She wants to win," Rallis said of his wife. "She said I was going to the game no matter what. Thankfully the baby was born four hours before the game. It timed out good."
Rallis isn't the first coach or player to give birth during the season. But his had a unique twist when it was revealed during the game on network television that not only was Dominick born but his middle name was after one of Rallis' players -- linebacker Kyzir White.
The story was everywhere by the time the game was over, even though Rallis didn't tell his players until postgame.
"It did blow up a lot," Rallis said with a smile.
Why Kyzir? The 31-year-old Rallis spoke about the appreciation he has for being a small part of players' careers as a coach. Choosing Kyzir was an appreciation "for a lot of guys I've been around and honor. Not just Kyzir but every player I've touched."
But White has earned it. "He's the ultimate teammate, ultimate team-first guy."
For now Rallis is seeing more of White than Dominick. That's the perils of football season, and a coach deep in his craft. But Rallis also said his wife understands, which is why she pushed him to coach against the Bears in the first place.
"She knows I'm mentally gone for like, six months," Rallis said. "She is ultimately all about ball. She's about ball too because she has to do everything else. That's not just my wife, that's a lot of wives -- coaches, players, staff. The hours it takes to be competitive, there is a sacrifice for that."
